Australian superstar Steve Smith served as captain of the now defunct Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) in IPL 2017. At the time, there was much speculation about how he would lead a team that included the highly successful former India skipper MS Dhoni. After a lacklustre start to the season, Dhoni was replaced as captain by Smith, who went on to lead the team to the final, where they narrowly lost to the Mumbai Indians (MI).
Smith has now returned to the IPL in 2023 as a member of the commentary panel for Star Sports, where he reflected on his experience of captaining RPS and working with Dhoni. He spoke of initially feeling daunted by the prospect of leading a team that included such an accomplished cricketer, but he credited Dhoni with providing him with valuable guidance and support both on and off the field. Smith also noted that he learned a great deal from Dhoni’s calm and composed approach to leadership and has tried to emulate it in his own style.
“So, you know, when I got the call to say that they wanted me to captain, it was a little bit daunting. But that season, MSD was just wonderful. You know, he helped in any way that he could and, he’s a terrific guy. It was a great experience being able to captain him, but also very daunting as well,” Smith was quoted as saying to Star Sports.
Smith further described his emotions upon being appointed captain of RPS, including his initial shock and uncertainty about working with Dhoni.
“I didn’t really know what to expect initially. MS had captained every team he played for, obviously throughout the IPL with Chennai, every season should I say. But when they came and asked me, I was a little bit shocked first, and then I didn’t really know what to say. It was like, have you spoken to MS about this? This is a little bit strange from my side, but after we sorted everything out, MS was just wonderful. And the way he helped me and helped guide that team that year was incredible. And yeah, I couldn’t thank him enough.
“He was someone that I was bouncing ideas off. Being behind the stumps, he’s got a great, great view of the game. He understands the angles really well and obviously playing in India also, you know, it’s his home and he understands those conditions as well as anyone would. So, I would’ve been stupid if I wasn’t trying to get as much knowledge as I could out of him in the middle. And he was very helpful and certainly helped us achieve what we did that year,” added Smith.
However, the Aussie praised Dhoni for his willingness to offer advice and assistance throughout the season, noting that the wicketkeeper-batter’s experience and understanding of the game were invaluable assets to the team. Smith also spoke about the importance of maintaining a calm and level-headed approach to leadership, which he learned from watching Dhoni over the years.
“I think just the calmness that MS shows, we saw it throughout his career, just how calm he was. It didn’t look like he was flustered by any emotions or anything like that. And that’s certainly something that I’ve taken in not just in that season, but just watching him go about his business in the prior years, just how calm and relaxed he was. At times I can get quite agitated and things like that. So, I have to try and keep myself as calm and as sort of level-headed as I can. And yeah, that’s certainly something that I learned off of MS.”
